Evan Bluetech is to Southern California as ambient is to dub. With a background in classical and improvisational piano, he has honed his wares with yearly performances at the infamous Burning Man festival and other outdoo... more »r gigs. He serves as Music Director and performer for the living ambient gallery Project Cathedral in San Diego and has contributed his work to the award winning Continuums Project as well as numerous television commercial soundtracks. He is also one of the founding members of the art collective Native:State, a group of quirky circus performers, DJ?s fire dancers and music makers. Bluetech melds the electronic with the organic, utilizing custom-built Reaktor instruments and software-based synthesizers. His traditional classical training brings a warmth and musicality to the precision and detail of his extremely fresh electronic style and sound. Besides ambient dub influences, Bluetech also borrows from the worlds of IDM and experimental electronica. Inspired by artists like The Orb, Sounds From The Ground and Higher Intelligence Agency, Bluetech delivers a vivid distinct sound that is both modernistic and retrospective.« less
Evan Bluetech is to Southern California as ambient is to dub. With a background in classical and improvisational piano, he has honed his wares with yearly performances at the infamous Burning Man festival and other outdoor gigs. He serves as Music Director and performer for the living ambient gallery Project Cathedral in San Diego and has contributed his work to the award winning Continuums Project as well as numerous television commercial soundtracks. He is also one of the founding members of the art collective Native:State, a group of quirky circus performers, DJ?s fire dancers and music makers. Bluetech melds the electronic with the organic, utilizing custom-built Reaktor instruments and software-based synthesizers. His traditional classical training brings a warmth and musicality to the precision and detail of his extremely fresh electronic style and sound. Besides ambient dub influences, Bluetech also borrows from the worlds of IDM and experimental electronica. Inspired by artists like The Orb, Sounds From The Ground and Higher Intelligence Agency, Bluetech delivers a vivid distinct sound that is both modernistic and retrospective.
CD Reviews
Adventurous, worthwhile melodic dub
M. A.J.Anderton | Barton-on-Humber, England | 07/20/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Talk about breathing fresh air into a genre. Whilst mainstream dance still reels from post-Ibiza Trance meltdown, artists like Bluetech produce dance music that sounds genuinely fresh and inspired...indeed inspiring.
The album works best as a whole, though standout tracks include Leaving Babylon, Triangle, Prayers for Rain and 7th Phase Dub.
Many 'dub' artists have produced tracks with little direction or purpose, but this album has it. The tracks meander and evolve in the same way. The album cover which featured chameleons is quite fitting, as it is a chameleonic album. Much of the meandering electronica is supported with strong continuous melody such as 7th Phase dub which threatens to wander into 'Orb' territory with floating spanish guitar riffs.
The synth and the spiky nature of the album make it more akin to a sophisticated Orbital, but with Orbitals trademark rough-edges smoothed and veneered.
What the album lacks is a killer track, and I think you know what I mean by that. Too many of the tracks are 'good' but none are personal favourites of mine. I'd happily listen to the album, but unfortunately, none of the tracks warrant individual attention.
Such is the nature of dub, that standout tracks are rare. I'd suggest to Bluetech, that on further projects, he looks to artists like The Orb who used sustained ambientsections in their tracks to get that killer track.
In summary then, a unique and promising album with good chracter, good purpose that hints of more to come. I hope this is just the start of more to come."
Totally Hypnotic
Ambient Lass | Cedar Hill, TX United States | 11/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD will take you away from everything. I have never heard such awesome connected sounds and rhythms that make you feel as if you are in a dreamland. I agree with one reviewer that it is hard to believe that this is their first album. I am already looking forward to their second, third, etc. This is a CD that you can listen to over and over again without feeling that each song sounds exactly the same."
And he can PLAY too!
Paul Lord | El Cerrito, CA United States | 02/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This disc is ridiculously fresh. Abstract textures, burbling, muttering synth work, deep and dubby basslines, all woven together in a series of beautiful compositions. Then, smack dab in the middle of things, BAM, a brilliant, jaw-dropping Fender Rhodes solo, or acoustic guitar fill, or other display of physical musicianship.
Or, alternately, it's all laptop sequencing wizardry; if anything, that would be even MORE amazing, because I've never heard computer sequencing with such an organic, human feel. This is a true benchmark release for electronic music; the arrangements, sonic invention, and production quality are absolutely state of the art."
F*R*E*S*H!!
stryder | the city of roses | 10/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"gawd this CD is fresh ... it's like a whole new west coast sound that's catching on even back in the rust belt. it's chilly contempo electro but man, this will warm up even the deep freeze folks. i love the sounds from the ground remix, er retriangulation. LOL. this is mono cooliosis ladies and gents."
The color and the shape
Casey K | Los Angeles, CA | 11/07/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I owned Prima Materia for a few weeks before I listened to it. When I got it, I knew it was right, but I didn't know why. When I listened to it, I understood. The first half of disk held my hand and led me to a warm comfortable place where the auditory imagery flashed through my mind like stars on the shortest day. By "7th phase dub", I was in awe at the idea that music could be so dynamic... spanning the landscape of light and dark spaces, making me aware of movement in and outside of myself...so many colors...no I wasn't high....Track 11, "Cliff Diving" brings you back to zero, completing the circle with all the soul of a thousand bright lights and the temperate vociferation of piano. Prima Materia is a true phenomenon. I highly recommend that you get this album, a pair of good headphones and experience it for yourself."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1